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TextExpander is a great Mac tool that expands special abbreviations typed anywhere in the OS into useful snippets of text. One of the AppleScript snippets included shortens a URL in the clipboard using the bit.ly URL-shortening service. You copy the URL from your browser and just type /bitly in an email, IM, or Twitter, for example, and the abbreviation is replaced by a shortened URL.

One advantage of bit.ly over other shortening services is that it provides click statistics and other useful information for each shortened URL. If you have a (free) bit.ly account, the URLs you shorten are easily accessed through their site. However, the script included with TextExpander shortens the URL without associating it with your bit.ly account. This version of the script is a very simple modification which associates URLs you shorten with your bit.ly account.

To use this script, change [your_username] and [your_API_key] in line 9 to the correct values. (Once you have created a bit.ly account, you can find your API key here: http://bit.ly/app/developers.) Create a new snippet in TextExpander and paste the script into the Content field, making sure to select AppleScript in the dropdown above the field. Set the abbreviation and you're done.